Seminole drug agents arrest 2 in Sanford shootings

Seminole County drug agents Wednesday arrested two men they say were key players in a recent spate of shootings in Sanford.

Eric Menefee, 24, and Albert Thompson III, 31, were taken into custody near a bar in Lake Mary, authorities said.

"The people in Sanford are safer," Assistant State Attorney Jim Carter said after the arrests.

Menefee was armed and trying to sell cocaine when he was captured, Carter said.

Police had been searching for Menefee and Thompson and a third suspect, Jamiroquan McGill, 17. The teen is wanted on charges of attempted first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He is armed with high-powered rifles and handguns with high-capacity magazines and should be considered dangerous, police said.

Investigators say the three were involved in at least some of a dozen or so shootings that have sprayed homes and cars in Sanford with bullets since October. Rival groups of young men from different neighborhoods are responsible, police said. One person has been seriously hurt.

Police Thursday are expected to announce that they have formed a special unit to combat street crime, including drug dealing, prostitution and violence by gangs and career criminals. Surveillance, intelligence-gathering and targeted attention on problem areas will be part of the strategy, officials said.

Also known as "Crazy Boy," Menefee served a three-year prison sentence for aggravated fleeing and eluding in Seminole County and battery on a law-enforcement officer.

Thompson was found not guilty in two 2002 killings in Sanford. He served prison time for a Volusia robbery and drug and weapons convictions in Hillsborough County. Both men were released in late 2011.

"These are people who have a total reckless disregard for human life," Sanford police Capt. James McAuliffe said.

Another suspect, Christopher Hunter, 27, has being held without bail in the Seminole County Jail since Oct. 24. His charges include attempted first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, shooting a deadly missile into a dwelling, possession of a gun or ammunition by a felon and drug-trafficking.

Anyone with information about McGill's whereabouts can call Crimeline, 800-423-8477.